Ukraine calls on UN court to force the RF to lift ban of Mejlis

Russia is obliged to abolish the ban on the activities of the representative body of the Crimean Tatars in accordance with the order of the International Court of Justice of April 19, 2017

KYIV (QHA) -

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on the International Court of Justice to confirm that Russia is obliged to abolish the ban on activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people in accordance with the order of April 19, 2017.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs forwarded a relevant appeal to the court on April 24.

“A year has passed and, in spite of clear instructions of the order, the Russian Federation continues to prohibit and impede the activities of the Mejlis. It is already clear that Russia is not going to cancel the discriminatory ban on the activities of the Mejlis,” reads the statement.

Ukraine fundamentally disagrees with this position: The text of the order is absolutely clear, understandable and requires the immediate lifting of the ban.

“In this regard, Ukraine appeals to the International Court of Justice to carry out its judicial powers and confirm that Russia is obliged to cancel the ban on the activity of the Mejlis in accordance with the order of the International Court of Justice of April 19, 2017 on the application of provisional measures,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Moreover, the order of the World Court obliges Russia to provide access to education in the Ukrainian language and to prevent all forms of racial discrimination.

Ukraine again emphasizes that the actions of the Russian Federation are breaching the norms of international law.

"We appeal to the international community to insist that the Russian Federation must observe the norms of international law, including the implementation of binding orders of the International Court of Justice," the Foreign Ministry summarizes.

Earlier, QHA reported that the delegation of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people participated in the 17th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, which was held in New York from 16 to 19 April.